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M. ARM ITAGE 8: 0. TOPHAM.

DROP'BOX MECHANISM FOR LOOMS.

No. 422,279. Patented Feb. 25, 1890.

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M. ARMITAGE & O. TOPHAM. DROP BOX MECHANISM FOR LOOMS.

No. 422,279. Patented Feb. 25, 1890.

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M. ARMITAGE & G. TOPHAM. DROP BOX MECHANISM FOR LOOMS.

No. 422,279. Patented Feb. 26, 1890.

N. PETER Phemullw n har. Walhingiorl, [L c.

UNITE STATES PATENT OFFICE.

MARRIOTT ARMITAGE, OF LONG ISLAND CITY, NEW YORK, AND CHARLES TOPHAM, OF PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA, ASSIGNORS TO JOSEPH WILD AND JOHN OARTLEDGE, BOTH OF BROOKLYN, NEW YORK.

DROP-BOX MECHANISM FOR LOOMS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of LettersPatent No. 422,279, dated February 25, 1890.

I Application filed August 17, 1888. Serial No. 282,998. (No model.)

United States, and the said ARMITAGE residing,

in Astoria Long Island City, New York, and the said TOPHAM residing in Philadelphia,

Pennsylvania, have invented certain Improve,

ments in Drop-Box Mechanism for Looms, of which the following is a specification.

Our invention relates to looms for weaving leno fabrics, such as those which are afterward severed between the lines of warp to form chenille strips; and the object of our invention is to facilitate the weaving of such fabrics. This object we attain by providing the loom with drop-boxes and dictating the proper operation of said drop-boxes through the medium of a keyboard, as fully described hereinafter.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a front view of sufficient of a loom to illustrate our invention. Fig. 2 is a side view of part of the loom, showing only that part of the drop-boX-operating mechanism to which our invention particularly relates and omitting the shuttle boxes, lathe, &c. Fig. 3 is a detached perspective view of the drop-boxoperating mechanism with our attachment,

and Figs. 4 and 5 are views of detached parts of said mechanism.

We have omitted from the drawings the warp carrying and, shedding mechanism in order to illustrate more clearly the points of our invention. We maysay, however, that 3 5 the shedding mechanism which we prefer to use in connection with our improved bOX- motion is fullyillustrated' and described in the Letters Patent granted to II. and 0. TOP} ,ham on the 29th day of May, 1888, No. 383,838.

The ordinary method of weaving a leno fabric which is intended to be subsequently out between the lines of warp to form strips of chenille for use in weaving rugs, lambrequins, carpets, and other fabrics is a slow one, as a hand-loom withv single shuttle-box is generally used, and the loom is stopped and the shuttle changed whenever a change of color in the weft becomes necessary. Such changes are frequent, as a dozen or more colors are frequently employed and the same color may be used for but a few picks at a time. We overcome this objection by using drop-boxes raised and lowered by power and timed with the shedding mechanism of the loom, the power mechanism being governed by the manipulation of the keys carried by levers conveniently arranged for operation bythe weaver.

Referring to the drawings, A is part of the frame of the loom, B the usual driving or crank shaft, and O the cam-shaft, geared together as shown. 1

D is the breast-beam of the loom, and E is the lathe, pivoted at e and carrying the shuttle race and reed e, and also the guides d for the shuttle-boxes F, all of which parts may be of the ordinary construction, as they form no part of our invention.

We have shown in the drawings six shuttle-boxes and mechanism for operating this number; but it will be understood that any number of boxes and any desired style of box operating mechanism may be used without departing from our invention, the mechanism shown in the drawings being that of the well-known Knowlesiloom. (See Patent No. 134,992, dated January 21,1873.)

The boxes are raised and lowered by means of a chain vf, which is secured to a vertical shaft f, attached to thelower portion'of the box-frame and adapted to suitable guideways in the fixed frame, as usual, the chain passing over pulleys g, thence over a wheel h, hung to a lever h, thence over a wheel a, hung to a lever c', and thence to one arm of a lever j, all these levers being pivoted to the frame of the loom. Each of these levers is connected to a segment-pinion Z through the medium of a connecting-bark, and said segment-pinions are hung to levers m, pivoted to an arm 0% on the frame of the loom. The connecting-rods k are hung to crank-pins on the pinions Z, as shown, and the pinions can have a limited rotating movement dependent upon the stop-pins n, projecting from the levers m and adapted to slots n in said segment-pinions.

Directly above and below the segment pim ions are power-driven toothed segment-gears L and K, and in practice the upper gear is rotated in one direction and the lower gear in the opposite direction, so that it will be seen that by throwing either of the segmentpinions in gear with the gear L it will be moved in one direction and by throwing it in gear with the gear K it will be moved in the other direction, the lever h, t', or j being likewise moved, so as to take up or let out a certain length of chain f to raise or lower the boxes to the desired extent.

The levers m, carrying the segment-pinions, are ordinarily moved to throw the pinions into and out of gear with the power-driven gears L and K by means of pattern chains or cards; but in weaving fabric for chenille the use of such devices is impracticable, on account of the necessarily elaborate character of the same, and because in most cases but one piece of fabric of any particular pattern is required; hence the chain or set of cards after the weaving of that one piece would be useless. By the mechanism which we have devised, however, the weaver has the dropboxes completely under control and can bring any one of the shuttles into line with the race, as desired.

Pivoted to a stud p on the frame of the machine are levers P P, P and P one arm of each lever being provided with a key 9', while the other arm is adapted to engage with one or more of a series of vertical adj listing-bars Q, each of which is adapted to a guide in a frame N, projecting from the side of the loom, and is peculiarly constructed at its lower endthat is to say, it is forked or branched, one of the bars being so constructed that it is acted upon by the lever P, another bar being acted upon by the levers P P, and the third being acted upon by the levers P, P, and P as shown in the diagram, Fig. 4.

Above each of the bars Q is a jack S, pivoted to one arm of a lever T, hung to a studi on the frame N, each lcverhavinga short arm with pockets at u, in one or other of which rests the lower end of a slide V, adapted to a guide on the frame of the loom, and guided also by a pin 11, passing through a slot in the slide, as shown in Fig. 3, the slide beiuglowered when it rests in the pocket u and raised when it rests in the pocket 24 of the lever T.

Pivoted to a stud w 011 the frame of the maehine are two levers W and U, each having a projecting bar 10, that of the lever WV being above the jacks S, while that of the lever U is beneath the jacks. above and below for engagement with the bars to, so that when a jack is raised by the adjusting-bar it will be thrown into engagement with the bar 20' of the lever WV, and if allowed to fall the bar w of the lever U will 3 to oppositely-proj ecting arms a: a," of a threearmed lever X, pivoted to the frame of the 100111 and adj ustably connected by a rod 1) to a le- Each jack is notched vcr a, which is acted upon by a cam 0, (shown by dotted lines in Fig. 2,) and is held in contact with this cam by a spring a, so that a vibrating motion is imparted to the lever X and thence to the levers W and U. The lever a has a slot at, and the bolt 1) at the lower end of the rod 1) can be moved to and fro in this slot and secured in position after adjustment by a nut 0 The keys (1 of the levers P P P P are held inthe raised position by means of springs 19 acting on the levers and secured to a bracket p on the frame of the loom.

When it is required tohold one or other of the levers in operative position for a considerable time, alink q is passed over the hooked end q of the lever, this plan being preferably adopted where a number of shots of the same color have to be made, thus avoiding the nceessity of holding down the key by hand.

A pull upon the lever j effects the lifting of the boxes to the extentof one box. A pull upon the lever 7L lifts to the extent of two boxes, and a pull upon the levers and h lifts to the extent of three boxes. A pull upon the levers t' and h lifts to the extent of four boxes, and a pull upon all the levers h, 2', and j lifts to the extent of five boxes, thus placing the sixth box in position.

The rear adjusting-bar Q is under control of the lever P. The intermediate bar is controlled by the levers P and P and the front bar by the levers P, P, and P By this means a lift to the extent of one, two, three, or four boxes may be effected by depressing but one key at a time, or a lift to the extent of five boxes by depressing all of the keys simultaneously. Thus by depressing the key P the intermediate bar Q will. be lifted and the operating devices 'for the lever j will be thrown into action, so as to lift one box. By depressing the key P the front bar Q will be lifted and the operating devices for the lever h thrown into action, so as to lift two boxes, while by depressing the key P the front and intermediate bars Q will be lifted, thus effooting the operation of the levers h and j and a lift of three boxes, and by depressing the key P the front and rear bars Q will be elevated, so as to effect the operation of the levers 7t and z' and alift of four boxes, the de pression of all of the keys effecting the elevation of all of the bars Q and the operation of all of the levers 71,1', andj, so as to lift five boxes. If each bar Q were controlled by but one keylever, the depression of two of these levers simultaneously would be required to lift the box-rod to the extent of three or four boxes, whereas this is rendered unnecessary by the construction shown.

It will be understood that the levers P P P P, instead of being hand-levers, may be in position to be operated by the foot, or may be connected with suitable treadle mechanism, without departing from our invention; and it will also be understood that a greater or less number of levers may be used, depending I Miami upon the quality of the work and the number of boxes employed.

We have shown in the drawings the keylevers acting upon the jacks S to throw them into engagement with the power-actuated levers W and U; but it should be understood that the adjusting-bars Q may act directly upon the levers m, if desired. In this case, however, not only will more power have to be exercised, but the levers will have to be held down while the boxes are being moved,whereas in the construction shown the levers are merely held down a sufficient length of time to allow the lever W or U to catch the jack, after which said lever W or U completes the movement and the key lever can be released. The series of levers m are therefore to be viewed simply as the primary elements of the power-actuated shuttle-box mechanism, our invention consisting, mainly, in the use of a series of key-levers and adjusting-bars for acting upon these primary elements of the power mechanism either directly or through the medium of the intervening mechanism shown, in place of the pattern-chain usually employed for the purpose, with the view of dispensing with the impracticably long pattern-chain which would be required if each pick from the beginning to the end of the piece of fabric to be woven had to be represented by a separate link of pattern-chain, as

' it would have to be where, as in weaving chenille, there is no repetition in the pattern.

Wetherefore claim as our invention- 1. The combination of the series of primary elements of the power-actuated shuttle-box mechanism with controlling mechanism therefor, embracing a series of key-levers,whereby said mechanism constitutes a substitute for the ordinary pattern-chain, substantially as specified.

2. The combination of the series of primary elements of the power-actuated shuttle-box mechanism with controllin g mechanism therefor, comprising a series of slides, levers acting thereon, jacks hung to said levers, vibrated bars engagingthe jacks, a series of adjusting-bars for the jacks, and a series of key-levers acting on said adjusting-bars, substantially as specified.

3. The combination of the series of primary elements of the power-actuated shuttle-box mechanism with controlling mechanism therefor, comprising a series of adjusting-bars and a series of key-levers'acting upon said bars, each lever operating one of the bars and some of the levers operating more than one of the bars, substantially as specified.

In testimony whereof we have signed our names to this specification in the presence of 60 two subscribing witnesses.

MARRIOTT ARMITAGE. CHARLES TOPHAM.

Witnesses:

HUBERT Howson, Gno. A. CRANE. 

